Autumn SEARCH addresses the Anglican Covenant
The autumn issue of SEARCH - a Church of Ireland Journal, is now available. It majors on the crucial decision to be made on the Anglican Covenant by each province of the Anglican Communion – a Covenant which, while aiming to keep the Communion united, threatens to split it into a "two-tier" structure.
Mexico and South Africa have already recorded initial votes in favour. The Church of England General Synod, fresh from its quinquennial elections, will vote on the matter next month; the Church of Ireland will vote in Armagh next May.
Whichever way the decisions go there will be serious results, yet there seems to be little appetite for getting to grips with the issues, though some alarm bells have recently been sounded. To stimulate serious thinking and debate on the matter, especially among those who will vote on it in May, SEARCH is running an article against the Covenant by Jonathan Clatworthy of the C of E in this issue, to be followed by one by Archbishop John Neill in favour in the next. (Dr Neill chaired the committee which produced the final version of the Covenant at the end of last year). Could a via media still be found, with a better chance of keeping us all together in the future? In partnership with the C of I chaplaincy in TCD, SEARCH has arranged a Colloquium on 12 March to consider the options. Details are on www.searchjournal.ireland.anglican.org.
After the last issue's concentration on mission, the theme of inter-faith dialogue and its relationship to Christian witness is taken up in this issue. In the new series on Approaches to the Bible Today, Jeff Bailey (London and Cambridge University) describes the practice of Scriptural Reasoning, in which members of the three Abrahamic faiths gather together to share insights into their scriptures; and Linda Hogan of the ISE acquaints us with new developments in the School in the area of inter-cultural as well as inter-faith encounter.
Returning to our own church scene in Ireland, Anne Lodge and Dermot Dunne share some research on the experience and influence of Roman Catholic converts (among whom they are numbered) in the Church of Ireland, while Livingstone Thompson outlines the challenge to the Irish churches of the growing migrant-led Pentecostal churches, chiefly those of African origin.
On ecumenical front, there are highly hopeful developments here in Ireland. Donald Ker, last year’s president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, outlines progress in agreement between that Church and the C of I on the interchangeability of ministries – another subject for consideration at General Synod and the Methodist Conference.
Finally in the Styles of Prayer series Rosemary Power describes the practice of “prayer walks” which she has introduced in her ministry in and around Shannon in Co Clare. A rich crop of book reviews follows.
SEARCH is available from The Good Book Shop in Belfast, Best Sellers and The RE Resource Centre and Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin.
Alternatively, contact the subscriptions manager Very Revd Stephen White at the Deanery, Killaloe. Further details are available on the SEARCH website www.searchjournal.ireland.anglican.org.